On Thursday March 30, Peruvian legislators from the parliamentary benches of progressive Free Peru, Democratic Peru and Democratic Change-Together for Peru political parties presented in Congress a vacancy motion against the de facto President Dina Boluarte for “permanent moral incapacity” to continue in office.
The left-wing legislators condemned Boluarte for unleashing brutal police and military repression against peaceful protesters during the past four months of protests against her government. The legislators pointed out that at least 49 protesters have been killed in these months at the hands of public security forces.
“Never in the history of Peru, has a government assassinated more than 40 people in demonstrations in such a short time. The excessive and disproportionate use of the Armed Forces and National Police deserves to have more than one person responsible, mainly, the President of the Republic, since according to the Political Constitution, they are the supreme head of the public order forces. Thus, Mrs. Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, current President of our country, must assume responsibility and answer for all these deaths,” the legislators stressed in the motion.
On Thursday night, José Williams, president of the Congress, reported that the head of state had been informed about the impeachment motion and that the legislators would discuss the admission of the motion in the next plenary session, which is scheduled for April 4.
The motion requires the vote of at least 40% of the congressperson to enter in debate in the parliament. At the same time, at least 87 votes are necessary to dismiss Boluarte, who assumed office on December 7, 2022 after the democratically elected left-wing President Pedro Castillo was removed by the right-wing dominated Congress.
In addition to the vacancy motion, Castillo’s former vice-president Boluarte, who betrayed the people who elected her and entered into a political alliance with the right-wing to govern, has been put under scrutiny by the Prosecutor’s Office for alleged illicit financing of the 2021 presidential campaign and alleged corruption in public procurement.
On March 28, the Prosecutor’s Office decided to include Boluarte, Castillo and businessman Henry Shumabukuro in a money laundering case against Free Peru’s founder and president Vladimir Cerrón. The decision was made after Shimabukuro told the local media that he had financed Boluarte’s trips and campaigning activities during the last electoral campaign. Provincial Prosecutor Richard Rojas has opened an investigation against Boluarte and Castillo for the alleged crimes of criminal organization and money laundering.
After Shimabukuro’s statements, Boluarte rejected the accusations against her and reiterated that they were a political maneuver that seeks to destabilize her administration.
Additionally, on March 27, Boluarte presented herself before National Prosecutor Patricia Benavides to answer for the alleged irregularities that her former adviser Grika Asayag committed while contracting companies for public work orders.
These investigations have been added as an argument by the progressive opposition for Boluarte’s dismissal.
